Fire and Ice
by the-key-of-the-twilight
Summary: Ice and Snow is a popular love story that is told and read in the world of Tethealla. It is about two people in love who would sacrifice his or her life in order to have the other live. How does this apply to Sheena and Zelos? You'll have to find out...
1. Ice and Snow

Fire and Ice by the-key-of-the-twilight 

Disclaimer: I do not own Namco, Tales of Symphonia, Zelos, Sheena, or "Ice and Snow" and probably never will.

A/N: Yep, another Sheelos fanfic! I'm dedicating this to the wonderful and such grateful people of the Sheelos Lover of Fanfiction! You guys are awesome! I thank those who review Violets and Roses because those reviews got me into writing Sheelos fanfics again! I got the idea of this title and inspiration from D.N. Angel, Rose-Wisteria's wonderful fanfics, and a few other animes as well! Well, hope you guys like this one!

* * *

Part 1: Ice and Snow 

The red-haired Chosen pulled off his thick gloves, cupped his numb hands and breathed heavily into them. He rubbed his freezing fingers together and breathed over them constantly. His scarf was surely not helping and his gloves were useless against Flanoir's harsh winters. Piling snow rested on the concealed ground, which froze the Chosen's feet. He tried not to stare at the snow, something that gave him a bad memory of the past. He breathed once again which helped him recover from his moment of extreme chill, put on his gloves, and walked to a nearby food stand.

When he reached the stand, the little boy who managed it gave the Chosen a little smile. The redhead tried to smile back, but his face was nearly frozen and he found it difficult to grin.

"Good day to you, Chosen," the little boy said behind the fabric of his scarf.

"G- good day to you, too…" Zelos stuttered and then shivered slightly. "I'll need some beef strips, carrot, and onions…" The boy smiled again and nodded. He placed each item in a plastic bag and handed it over to Zelos.

"Here you go! For free. Take care; don't catch cold!" the kind child said thoughtfully.

"T- thanks…" the Chosen said and tried to smile once more, but failed to do so. He then silently walked off through the falling snow and biting cold to the inn where he could make some warm soup. The thought of steaming food almost made his mouth water and made his freezing legs move quicker. However, a thought struck him as he reached the inn and grabbed for the doorknob. _That little boy… he actually has to work in this weather?_ He turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Inside, lots of people were huddling for warmth, talking with friends, or eating something warm. The fresh aroma of stew reached Zelos and he couldn't help but smirk. And then, his eyes were fixed on the lovely lady behind the counter. She looked at him and smiled.

"Hello, what can I do for you, Chosen?" she said sweetly. The Chosen grinned, took off his gloves once again, and ran his hand through his flame-like hair. This was his chance to be the old Zelos again.

"Hello there, my, you're beautiful," he flirted, trying to do one of his handsome poses. The lady flushed and laughed.

"My, um… thank you…" the lass said and then bent down to get a hold of something. She took out what seemed like a bottle of milk. "Here you go. I know it's not much, but it's warm." Zelos nodded as a sign of gratitude and accepted the bottle of milk.

"Thank you, beautiful…" he said and waited for her reaction. The lady blushed even harder and chuckled. Then, a voice burst out from behind him, a voice he knew very well.

"Out of all the places there are, why did I have to end up in the same inn as the stupid Chosen!" Zelos spun around and then grinned proudly as he saw the owner of the voice.

"Well, well, if it isn't my voluptuous hunny?" he teased and waited for the usual crude remark his old Sheena would always make.

"Don't call me that!" she shouted, but settled down as she saw people around her look up.

"It's so like fate to have us together in this inn, don't you think?" he teased once again. He seemed to enjoy Sheena getting furious at him, since he missed it so much…

"The only fate you have is to be pummeled by me…" Sheena smirked.

"Ouch… now that really hurt…" he said and squinted one eye.

"Oh, you'll know pain alright when my hand makes contact with your face," she shot back.

Zelos kept on smiling at her tough reactions and shrugged. "Well, what are you doing here anyways?"

"Probably the same reason as you," Sheena said, staring dully at the Chosen. "So, why are _you _here?"

"Ah, just wanted to get away from the cold and eat something warm," he simply said. Then, Sheena sighed.

"Zelos, you do realize that you can hardly cook anything, right?" she reminded him.

"Well, who said _I _was going to cook it?" he asked, merely teasing her.

"Who else will? Sebastian's not here." The assassin was fully confident with what she had said.

_Sheesh… My hunny's sharp, _Zelos thought. "Hmm… my, that's very smart of you, my violent banshee!" Sheena fumed after hearing him use another one of his pet names for her.

"Ugh! I've had enough of this! I'm leaving!" And true to her words, the assassin walked out the door and slammed it behind her. The flirt was surprised at her reaction and decided to run after her. He burst out the door and observed his surroundings. The assassin was nowhere to be seen.

"Sheena?" he called and then sighed when he received no answer. He frowned. _Now, where could she have went? _He walked slowly toward the entrance off Flanoir and gazed up. It looked us if white fluff fell from the heavens. _Well, at least it's white… _His blue eyes closed and he felt wetness on his cheeks. _Yeah… white… pure white snow… _He opened his eyes and held out his bare hands and cupped a few snowflakes. They almost melted in his hand instantly and his hands started to fill with tiny puddles of water. He then let the liquid seep through his fingers and watched it become frozen once again. Zelos shook his head to clear his mind and headed out of Flanoir.

* * *

The stupid Chosen actually didn't know why he was walking in the bare snowy plains around Flanoir. Was he looking for Sheena? Or did he just have nothing to do? Actually, he thought the reasons were both. 

The snow seemed to fall heavier and heavier while the fallen snow dragged and seemed to pull at his legs. It was even more frigid outside of Flanoir. However, now, Zelos seemed to ignore the extreme weather and just walked straight on ahead. Suddenly, he heard a yelp of pain not far off. He gasped and ran as fast as he could toward where he heard the voice. The Chosen kept on running until he saw a glimpse of a figure sitting on the ground and nearly tripped.

"Be careful. It's slippery," the person cautioned a little too late.

"Well, you could have said that earlier, voluptuous hunny," Zelos said after he recovered. Sheena pouted and Zelos looked downward. "Wow… this is ice… No wonder you fell. You can be such a klutz sometimes…"

"I'm not a klutz! I just let my guard down and kinda… slipped," she protested, not allowing her weakness to show.

"Well, no fear! The Great Zelos is here!" the Chosen said arrogantly. "I'll save you!"

"Oh really? I bet you can hardly save an ant," she remarked. Suddenly, a burst of chilling wind blew violently at them. Snow started to fall rapidly.

"Aw, crap! A snowstorm?" Zelos cursed under his breath and faced Sheena. "Are you hurt?"

"No! Of course not!" she quickly replied and slowly stood up.

"I seriously doubt you can walk miles in this snowstorm after you've fallen like that," he remarked.

"I'm alright! I'm not bleeding or anything!" she yelled and wiped off the snow on her legs. "Forget you!" She marched past him and toward the way he had come.

"You know, just telling you, but we're much closer to the Temple of Ice than Flanoir. Just sharing a piece of my wisdom with you," the Chosen teased, "See you!" He walked off toward the other direction and left Sheena by herself.

"Why you stupid Chosen!" Sheena cried and stomped after him.

* * *

"Ah… Temple of Ice… How much I miss my hot beauty, Celsius," he smiled. The wind whipped his crimson hair into his eyes. 

"You know, this is no time to be recalling memories, we need to find shelter before this storm gets worse!" Sheena reminded him, partially exhausted from her hike against the heavy snow.

"I know, I know… just lookin'." The Chosen turned around and pointed at an empty cave nearby. "Guess we'll just stay there for now." So the twosome planned to stay in the cave until the storm settled. Sheena stared outside while Zelos tried to light a fire with the few materials they had.

"Ha! The brilliant and beautiful Zelos has done it again!" the idiot bragged to himself. "The Great Zelos has lit a fire!"

"Wow… " Sheena replied sarcastically, "Now can the fire warm both of us or only you… I think the latter…"

"Well, of course only me! Unless, you want to- "

"In your dreams, pervert!" the assassin broke off.

"Now, now, Sheena. That wasn't very nice…" Zelos mocked playfully and looked out toward her.

"Shut… up…" she muttered.

"Sheena!"

"I said… shut… up…" With that, Zelos became silent and stared at the fire he made. _Oh, how wonderful Zelos. You just made her officially pissed at you…What else can you ruin? _He thought sourly to himself and ran a hand through his now battered hair. _Oh man… I forgot my gloves at the inn, too…_ He sighed and then there was complete silence. However, that silence was broken shortly when Sheena gasped.

"It's gone!" she cried, foraging through her clothes. "It's gone! Corrine's bell is gone!"

_Corrine's bell…? Oh, yeah, that was the bell that furry Summon Spirit gave her…_, Zelos thought.

"Man, I must have lost it when I fell!" the assassin confessed and started to run toward the opening of the cave, but a hard grasp on her shoulder stopped her. "What is it!"

"I'll go, you stay," he said in a serious tone that was so unlike him. Sheena placed her hand on his and tried to pry it off. If it hadn't been her struggle to get his hand off her, Zelos would have enjoyed her warm touch on his skin.

"Get off me! I'll go by myself!" She rejected his offer.

"No, you stay," he simply said and walked past her without another word.

"Zelos! Wa- !" Sheena started, but it was too late. The Chosen had already left and was nowhere to be seen. "Zelos!" Her call echoed far off into the distance.

* * *

_Damn…this storm's worse off than I thought… _, Zelos admitted to himself bitterly. _How am I supposed to find that bell? I don't even remember where she fell! Everything's white, everything looks the same… _The Chosen's feet dug in the deep snow that came up almost to his knees. Wind tore at his face and hair; it was a great surprise his headband hadn't fallen off. He crossed his arms, trying to keep out the cold that pursued to numb him completely. Piles of snow caught onto his hair and weighed him down even more, but he didn't give up. 

The Chosen kept on walking and looking straight on ahead, instead of staring down at the snow. _Wonder what Sheena's doing right now… Hating me to pieces…? Probably… _His head drooped at the thought, but suddenly turned away from the gaze of snow. _Ugh… snow! Snow! Snow! It's seriously everywhere! Where am I supposed to find a bell in a snowstorm? _He observed his surroundings as if anything around him could have helped him in searching for such a small object. He then sighed as he found nothing at all and continued walking. All of a sudden, his foot made contact with something solid, lost its stability, and Zelos fell.

* * *

Sheena sat, with her head on top of her knees in front of the fire. It was actually really warm and the assassin regretted how spiteful she had been to Zelos earlier. _He's looking for Corrine's bell, which is probably in the middle of nowhere by now, after what I've said to him? He would never do that… He's not that nice… I bet he'll just come back after a while and say that he couldn't find it… Corrine, I'm sorry…_ Her head sagged even lower. She wrapped her arms around her legs and tried to feel the warmness of the fire. Her fingers weren't numb anymore and the fire had warmed most of her body. _I wonder what Zelos is doing right now… probably giving up and heading back… _She held out her hands and stared at them. _He's probably freezing by now… and I'm… I'm all nice and warm next to this fire…_ Her hands formed fists. _Why am I thinking about him so much? Ugh… I can't believe myself! _Sheena stared into the fire and frowned. Its fiery red color reminded her of who was most likely to be frozen stiff already. She put her hands down and stood up. _That's it! I'm leaving!

* * *

_

Zelos lifted his face off the frigid surface on which he fell on and shook his head. _What the? Oh, I slipped on ice… wonderful… just great…, _the Chosen thought unpleasantly. Then, he saw a shiny object in the distance. _It- It's the bell! _He ran desperately toward it and completely forgot about the fragile surface he was on, which was a bad choice. Without knowing it, his foot made contact with a thin layer of ice and it broke; and that was all it needed to break a large area of ice.

At first, Zelos couldn't feel anything. As he fell into the frigid waters underneath, the biting cold completely numbed him. Water poured into his lungs and bubbles formed everywhere. He didn't know what to do. Panic consumed his mind and he tried to reach for the surface, but couldn't. Then, a glitter caught his eye. The bell drifted peacefully nearby. Without thinking, he immediately went after the bell and groped for it. Using nearly all the strength he had left, he finally grasped the bell in his hand, only to realize that he was running dangerously low on oxygen. He headed for the surface, but his vision was blurred and he thought he was truly going to die.

Then, suddenly, like a miracle, a hand thrust down into the water. Immediately, Zelos reached for it and held onto it for dear life. The hand pulled him up until he reached the surface. The young man gasped for air and shivered terribly. With the help of his savior, he climbed up onto the icy surface with strength he forced out of himself. Zelos didn't need to see who his savior was for she spoke on her own.

"Zelos! Zelos, can you hear me?" she shouted worriedly. The Chosen laid against the ice, coughing up large amounts of water and breathed in short gulps of air. He closed his eyes and shook uncontrollably. "Zelos!" she called. With a last effort, Zelos handed the bell to Sheena and she gasped. The assassin took the bell and gaped at him. "You- you got it?" He smiled weakly at her.

"Anything for Sheena…" he whispered and then fell unconscious against her chest.

"Zelos!" Sheena shouted, this time not of anger, but deep concern. "You can't!" She hugged him closer to her. "No, you can't… you can't leave me here…" His damp body drenched her clothes, but she didn't care. "Zelos…" She felt the delicate edges of the bell he had retrieved for her. Then, a faint light appeared from behind her. Sheena spun around and gasped at what she saw.

"It's been a long time, Sheena… a very long time… have you forgotten me?" the creature that had appeared asked. The summoner gave a slight shake of her head and could hardly move from shock. The fox-like creature's many colorful tails swayed in the cold wind. Its colorful body was unforgettable.

"Co- Corrine!" Sheena stammered.

"Not Corrine, Verius," the Summon Spirit corrected.

"Wh- Why are you here?"

"I am here because I am the Summon Spirit of the Heart. Have you forgotten? Your heart, Sheena. The heart that gave me a life," it said in an ancient tone. Verius looked at the quivering man in Sheena's arms. "He will die if he is not kept warm…" Sheena bit her lip and looked sadly at the freezing Chosen resting on her chest. "You must quickly return to the Temple of Ice, where you were staying before. I will escort you there…" It stretched out so its back was nearly level with the ground. Sheena carried the young man and placed him gently on top of Verius.

"Thank you, Verius…"

* * *

Zelos slowly opened his eyes and waited for the blurriness to fade away. He realized that he was lying on his bare back. The Chosen gradually sat up and examined his surroundings. It was the cave he and Sheena had stayed in! He then searched for a certain someone. 

"I'm right here… just don't stare at me…" a voice said, and Zelos spun around. If any other normal and decent man had seen Sheena then, he would have blushed immediately and turned away. Unfortunately, Zelos wasn't a very "normal" or "decent" man. His reaction was an annoying grin.

"Wow, hunny. You sure are beautiful," he teased, amusing himself. There she was, huddled in a corner wearing nothing except for her undergarments and the regular bandages wrapped around her chest. The summoner flushed and stared down at the ground, trying to avoid the pervert's gaze.

"Whatever… Verius is outside… it was the one who saved you… show some respect…" Sheena mumbled, completely embarrassed at her lack of clothing and seeing Zelos in his bare chest. Surprisingly, Zelos did as she said without protesting. As he walked out, the Summon Spirit eyed the Chosen curiously, but Zelos completely ignored it.

"Hey, thanks. You know, for saving my life and all," he said simply.

"Do not thank me… Thank Sheena… Because of her, I was able to save you…" Verius said, with its unique tone of voice. Even though Zelos was clearly baffled off what it had said, he decided not go against it.

"What do you mean 'thank me'?" Sheena asked and walked up from behind. "What did I do?"

"It was your heart that summoned me…" the Summon Spirit explained, "It was your pure heart and your desire to save him that allowed me to appear. You were the key…" Sheena felt warm on her cheeks, but quickly shook those thoughts away.

"Anyways, thanks a lot. We would have never made it if it wasn't for you…" Sheena said and bowed.

"Farewell, Sheena… Remember, for I will always be with you in your heart…" And with that, in a flash of light, Verius was gone.

"Verius…" Sheena sighed, clutching the bell in her hand.

"You do realize that it's cold out here. Um… wanna go back into the cave?" Zelos said, stating the obvious. Without answering, Sheena headed back, leaving the idiot by himself. "Hey! Show some concern!"

"About what?" Sheena asked, looking queerly at him.

"About me of course!" he protested and the assassin shook her head.

"Stupid Chosen…" As Zelos saw Sheena's depressed face, he calmed down.

"What's wrong? You're not like yourself…" he said suddenly, acting so unlike himself. Sheena shook her head and sat with her head over her knees again. "C'mon! Tell me…"

"A moron like you would never understand…" she replied dryly. That comment stabbed Zelos like a thousand knives. "Why? Why did you get the bell if you knew you could die?" She asked this without looking up, just staring into the fire.

"Hmm? Well, you were mad with me and I guess I wanted you to feel better. Gah! I don't really know! I just do what I feel like doing!" he admitted care-freely. He grinned, but received no smile back. He leaned against the cold wall. "Alright, I'll spill it. I thought that the bell was really important to you and I wanted to see you smile again. That's really all…"

"For the risk of losing your life in the process?" the young lass asked, not believing what was coming out of the Chosen's mouth.

"Yeah… what's wrong? You don't believe me, my violent banshee?"

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore!" She hid her face with her arms. "You're talking to me so cheerfully! What's wrong with you?" The young man frowned.

"I don't know… What's wrong with me? Why am I always like this?" the Chosen asked himself as if he was talking to a mirror image. "Why do I always make the people around me unhappy?" Sheena kept silent and didn't even look up. "Ah… Even Sheena hates me now. What type of monster am I?" Then, he looked toward the opening of the cave and stared right at the snow. "Snow… red snow… No matter how hard I try, I can never see the snow as pure white again… Strange how memories can still be remembered after so many years…"

There was complete silence. Only the flickering of the flames between them could have been heard. There was absolute complete silence.

"Have you ever heard of the story, 'Ice and Snow'?" Sheena quietly asked, breaking the ice. Zelos looked baffled for a moment, but answered her question quickly for he knew the assassin wasn't in a good mood.

"Yea… my mother used to tell me that story," he replied, "It's that story about that rich guy and this poor village girl who loved each other."

"Yea… but do you get it?" she asked quietly, still concealing her face.

"Kinda… what do you mean by that?" the Chosen asked, puzzled by her questions.

"I mean… do you really get the deep meaning in that story?" Sheena sighed. "Never mind. I stupid to think you could ever understand such a deep story like that…"

"Well, the title is 'Ice and Snow'. I mean, snow resembles purity and ice could mean… well, death…" the young man explained. "Hmm… let me see if I can remember what my mother told me…"

"Uh, this rich guy named Elliot and this village girl named Freedert fell in love even though their backgrounds were very different. However, they were separated by war. The guy had to go to war and every day, the girl would pray for his safe return. Her prayers failed though… because her boyfriend died… But she made a final wish at the church and said, 'Please, take the remaining time I have and give it to Elliot!' Her boyfriend awoke from death and found out what Freedert had done. He then said, 'Please, give her all the remaining time I have!' The gods were so motivated by their actions of love together that they blessed their village with 'Eternal Time'… and continue to protect them…"

"Well, that's all my mother told me," the Chosen said, sighing. "I just think it's basically some crummy love story… nothing special…"

"Do you believe that ice could mean death?" Sheena said, stressing at the word 'death'.

"Not really," Zelos said simply. "I think it means beauty."

"Then, what if the title 'Ice and Snow' meant beauty, purity, and death? What if this story was telling us more than just what's written? What if it has some deep meaning to it?"

"Gah, Sheena!" Zelos groaned, "Why are we even thinking about this story anyway? It's just a dumb love story somebody wrote to amuse people…"

"But to love someone so much… she would even give her life to him even though she knew she would never see him again… how lucky she is to love someone so much… and have that love returned at the same time…" Sheena whispered as if repeating what someone else had told her. "She wanted him to live… even though she knew she wouldn't be able to stay by his side…"

"Sheena…" the Chosen said, eying her closely. "What's bothering you?"

"Zelos… can you ever really love someone like that? And are you able to return love after it's been given?" she asked in a shaky voice. The young man thought for a while with his eyes closed, deep in thought.

"I've… never really thought about that before. I guess I really don't know," he replied, but went on. "However, as selfish as I am, I really don't think I could love someone like that. The cruel truth is that I wouldn't sacrifice my life for someone I loved. Heh… not the answer you were looking for, isn't it?" He turned and seeing that Sheena was not a bit amused, he continued to stare at her. Then, something caught his eye. "Sheena! Your- your ankle!"

Surprised, Sheena peeked at her ankle and found it bruised. She had ignored it, but since Zelos brought it up, she felt pain again. "It doesn't really matter… It doesn't hurt…" she sighed.

"Sheena…" the Chosen sighed. He crouched next to her and examined it carefully. His hand cupped her ankle and as he his fingers groped near the back, Sheena cried a yelp of pain. Now realizing where it hurt, Zelos pulled his headband off and wrapped it around the summoner's ankle. "Does that feel better?" He stared inquisitively up at her.

"Thank… you…" she mumbled and turned away.

_Sheena…,_ Zelos thought and leaned against the hard wall, enveloped in silence once again. _Here we go again… more stillness…_Then, Sheena spoke up.

"Thank you… for getting Corrine's bell back for me…" she murmured. "Even though you acted like an idiot back there… saying your 'everything for you, Sheena' thing. If it weren't for Verius, you would've died. You're- "

"But…" Zelos interrupted. "If you weren't there in the first place, I would have never gotten out of the water. It was because of you I didn't drown in that horrible icy nightmare." At the thought, he shivered a bit. "How odd… for a second, I forgot it was snowing…" He stared at the fire as it crackled and suddenly, a thought struck him. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really…" Sheena muttered. Zelos frowned at her reply, but attempted to cook anyway. He took out the food he had bought this morning (which managed to stay dry in his clothes somehow…) and set them in front of him. For a moment, he studied the milk, beef strips, carrots, and onions, and thought about what he should cook. _Maybe some type of warm soup? Yeah, that could be nice… _He grinned instantly and began preparing his great idea.

"Want some hot cream soup, hunny?" Zelos said, smirking at the soup he had made.

"No thanks," Sheena replied glumly, not even caring that he had used her pet name.

"Oh, Sheena!" he sighed and stared down at his soup. "Are you sure you don't want any?" The summoner slowly nodded. "Well, suit yourself." He took a large sip from the stone bowl (that simply appeared out of nowhere) and licked his lips. The soup was actually quite tasty, which was a surprise even to him. In the corner of his eye, he saw Sheena stare at him. "What? Do you want some?"

"Oh fine…" she sighed and came closer to the fire. Zelos handed her the bowl and Sheena sipped. Afterwards, she smiled a bit and Zelos grinned. "It's actually pretty good. That's a surprise."

"Ow, that hurts!" the flirt commented and Sheena chuckled a little.

"It warms me…" she said soothingly. "It really feels good…" She took another gulp of soup. "Thanks…"

"No prob!" he said with a big grin. "Just happy that I could cheer you up a little." Sheena smiled and handed him the bowl.

"Here, want some?" she asked.

"Nah, it's okay… I can live," he answered and leaned back lazily. After a mere few seconds, Sheena had gulped down the last drop of soup. "Man, you sure drink fast."

"Well, of course," she replied, wiping her mouth. "Anyways, when do you think this snowstorm's going to end?"

"Dunno…" he answered. "Probably not soon. The winds haven't even died down a bit."

"Ugh, just great! Now how did this all start?" she asked herself and laid her back against the wall. "Let's see, first, you got me angry so I left Flanoir. Then, I tripped and hurt my ankle and we got stuck in this storm. After that, I realized that I lost Corrine's bell and you went to find it. I saved you from drowning and now we're stuck here in this cave again…" She sighed and suddenly looked very gloomy. "I'm sorry, I'm acting selfish. It's just that I'm… well…"

"Mad?" Zelos finished for her.

"Well, yeah," Sheena replied. She set down the bowl and stared at the vividness of the flames. This was yet another awkward silence. What was this? The hundredth one they've had?

"Ya know, 'Ice and Snow' wasn't its _real_ title," Zelos said, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean by _real _title?" Sheena asked suddenly curious.

"Its real title was… 'Ice and Dark'…" he explained. "But many people are too scared too scared to admit that to themselves…"

"And where did you learn this?" the summoner questioned.

"It actually wasn't that long after my mother had died," Zelos said. "I was heart-broken from that loss and I decided to go to the library in the castle to read a good book. You know, to cheer me up a bit, but I didn't find anything. However, when I was about to leave, a little girl rushed out and dropped a book along the way. I called after her, but she was too far away. So, I decided to read the book instead since I had nothing better to do."

"Did you ever see that girl again?" Sheena asked.

"No," he replied simply.

"Then how did you ever give the book back to her?"

"I didn't. It's still in my room," Zelos admitted. "I'm serious. I never saw her again."

"What did she look like?" the summoner probed.

"I don't remember. All I remember was that she had a pink ribbon tied into her hair," he said. "That's it." Another strange moment of silence occurred.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm… tired…" Sheena confessed and yawned. The pervert immediately grinned.

"You can sleep on me!" he offered. Sheena hit him hard in the back.

"You wish!" she shouted.

"Come on, I was just joking!" he said. "Seriously!" He leaned back and watched the fire as Sheena had done before. "Okay… I'll keep quiet…" Once again, another moment of silence. (Wow, there's a lot of silence…) Zelos observed the fire as if he was examining a new species. He pulled back his crimson hair and watched the flames crackle intently. The movement of the flames reminded him of his blazing red hair. Its color reminded him of his passion and hatred deep in his heart.

Sheena looked toward the entrance of the cave. She saw the snow pile up in the corners as if it was trying to build a wall to conceal them. She stared dazedly at the beautiful white snow that filled the sky outside. _It's so… lovely… I never I'd think that, _Sheena thought_. Zelos was right…_ _The snow's actually really beautiful… I've never thought of it that way…_All of a sudden, she felt drowsy. Her eyes were tempted to close, but she tried to keep awake as hard as possible.

* * *

Unfortunately, it wasn't long until Zelos felt a weight on his shoulder. He craned his neck and saw no other than his beloved Sheena leaning silently. He smiled, not a sly smile, but a kind and caring smile. _Sheena… you're even prettier than the snow…, _he thought and brushed her hair out of her eyes. It was even quieter now since Sheena had fallen asleep. Then, he chuckled lightly. _So much for not sleeping on me, eh?_ Actually, Zelos felt pretty lethargic himself, but he knew that the summoner would kill him if she awoke to know that they had slept together. 

So to keep himself awake, he decided to concentrate on something. He was too tired of staring at the fire since he had done that ever since they came to the cave, so he observed Sheena instead. He ran his fingers through her raven black hair and caught the scent of roses. _Rose-scented shampoo? _Zelos sniffed some more and found the smell pleasant. Roses were his favorite flowers after all.

Suddenly, his finger got stuck in a knot in her hair. He held his breath as Sheena tossed a bit and groaned. Once she settled again, he let out a sigh. _That was close… _Zelos carefully freed his finger without pulling at her hair. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. Well sure she did toss a bit, but still, a placid look was on her face. Zelos reached out and felt the smooth surface of her face. However, then she twitched slightly.

Her tranquil face stiffened and she mumbled something quietly to herself. Zelos noticed this change immediately. She leaned closer to him and her hand groped toward his bare chest.

"No… I didn't mean to… please…" the summoner murmured in her sleep. Zelos grasped her hand and gasped at how cold it was. "Please… forgive… me…" He knew that she was freezing and decided to act. Carefully, he set her head against the cave wall and placed her hand in her lap. Quietly, he walked over to where his clothes were and checked to see if his jacket was still wet. _Just a little… I'm sure it'll dry up soon next to the fire…_, he thought and brought the jacket back.

Zelos laid the jacket over Sheena like a blanket. She seemed comforted by this because her body became more relaxed. Zelos felt her temple and grimaced at how hot it felt. _Oh man, is she sick? _He hugged her close to him. _She is getting pretty warm… I think she's running a fever… _

"Corrine…" the summoner mumbled. Zelos nearly slapped himself. _Is _that _what's been bothering her this whole time?_, he thought. _She's been thinking of what happened with Volt? Of course, you idiot! _He insulted himself, for once.

"It's okay, Sheena… Corrine forgives you…" Zelos said softly.

"Why..?" Sheena whispered. The Chosen tried to think of an intelligent answer for her question.

"Well… because you're alive… and that's all that matters," he replied, quite satisfied with himself. Sheena tossed a bit in his arms.

"But why…?" she said lazily.

"Because your life is very valuable… and if you died, many people would be very sad," he coaxed. After that, Sheena didn't mumble anything else and Zelos felt as if he had become victorious in talking to the summoner in her sleep. Little did he know that Sheena was still trapped in her eternal nightmare…

* * *

A/N: Okay! This is supposed to be a three-part story. This is Part 1 so far and I hope it wasn't that bad. I should be starting on Part 2 after a review or so. I'm sorry that Sheena is a bit out of character. I guess she's just really mad at Zelos. Anyways, please review and I'll really appreciate it! 


	2. Ice and Dark

**Fire and Ice** by the-key-of-the-twilight

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own Namco, Tales of Symphonia, Sheena, Zelos, or "Ice and Snow" and probably never will. I also do not own D.N. Angel. :bows to Sugisaki-sama: Also some inspiration was taken from Fruits Basket and Chrono Crusade.

A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing:bows: I'm very happy to actually get more than one review for just Part 1! Thank you Ocean Rose, ShinkuRoze, MoonCannon, and everyone else that has reviewed!

MoonCannon: I'm sorry, but I planned only to have Sheena and Zelos in this fanfic. I don't know… I might add a few others from ToS, but that's a _might. _

Rose-Wisteria: Thank you so much for reviewing! You don't know how happy you've made me! Thank you so much again!

Part 2 is really weird and confusing. I'm just warning you in advance. You can flame me as you please… :hides in corner:

* * *

Part 2: Ice and Dark 

_"Ya know, 'Ice and Snow' wasn't its real title," Zelos said, breaking the silence._

_"What do you mean by real title?" Sheena asked, suddenly curious._

_"Its real title was… 'Ice and Dark'…" he explained. "But many people are too scared to admit that to themselves…"_

* * *

The snow kept on falling. Falling endlessly… as if snow never melted here… _Here? Where was here?_ That, she didn't know. Sheena didn't know where she was. She was just standing there, amidst the falling snow. She reached out her bare hands to catch a few snowflakes. They left nothing, but puddles of wetness like tears. She could hear echoes from far, far away. They were faint and mystic as if spirits were whispering them. 

_"Freedert… Come back to me…"_

At least that was all the summoner could make out of the echoes. They sounded so sad, and so lonely. She observed her surroundings, trying to find something new, but to no avail, everything was snow. Just pure white snow. It was cold and somehow… dark…

_"You failed us…"_

Sheena immediately turned as she heard this unexpected echo.

_"Sheena… You failed us…"_

The summoner abruptly turned and searched frantically for the owner of the voice.

_"You failed us… Give us back our time…"_

Sheena spun around again, looking from side to side. But there was only snow, just the same white beauty everywhere she looked. It suddenly became colder and she realized this, as she was able to see her own breath. She rubbed her shoulders. _W- where am I? What am I doing here?_ _Is this some type of game_, she thought as she stretched out her hand. Sheena watched intently as bits of snow fell upon her skin. _The snow sure feels real…_

_"Failure…"_

It was that voice again! But it was different this time. Sheena jumped to the conclusion that the echoes were made more than one person. _Wait, person? People_, she thought questionably to herself. _How am I so sure these are people?_

_"You will forever be a failure…"_

Sheena closed her eyes and felt the frigid air blow at her face. _Failure? Where have I heard that before…?_ She suddenly opened her eyes as she heard footsteps trudging into the snow beside her. The summoner spun around and stared at the figure.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the figure asked, cocking his head so he could be seen behind the collar of its shirt. Sheena didn't know how to answer, so she just observed the mysterious figure that simply appeared out of nowhere. He was certainly a boy, probably the same age as Sheena, with short red hair and luminous blue eyes. His body was adorned with a tattered cloak, one that looked as if it had endured many battles. But it was not his appearance that caught Sheena's eye. It was the clock he wore around his neck.

"Are you here to destroy me?" he asked, looking blankly at Sheena.

"D- destroy you? Why would I do that?" she replied.

"Then what are you doing here?" The lass thought quietly for a while. Actually, she wasn't sure how she got here the first place.

"I don't know! Where the hell is here anyways?" she answered, knowing that it didn't help the boy in any way.

"This is my world… a world I created…" he said quite confidently.

"A world you created? How's that possible?" Sheena said, more like to herself, quietly.

"It's quite simple, really. But a mere human like you would never understand…"

"Mere human? Then what does that make you? You don't seem all tough and mighty to me!"

"I'm human, but not quite… Anyways, are you done with your questions yet?" he brushed a pile of snow off his shoulders and turned around. "Leave as soon as you can. Humans can't survive in this world for long…"

"Hey, wait!" Sheena called after him as he started walking off. "Where are you going?" However, the boy did not reply. Instead, he continued trudging his way through the snow. "Wait!" Her hand reached out for him and she started following him. She tried to run, but the snow was too thick. She would just have to slowly trudge after him.

* * *

"Why are you still following me?" the boy asked and stopping abruptly. Sheena panted and saw her own breath. His question angered her. "I thought you stopped a long time ago." 

"Does it look like I know where I am?" she asked. "Can you please just show me the way out of your world?" There was a brief moment of silence. "Hey, did you hear what I just said?"

"Show you?" he chuckled. "How can I show you the way out? You got yourself into this world so only you can get yourself out. I have no power to control that…"

"What? What are you talking about?" Sheena asked and kicked at the snow. "How did I get myself into this world?" Again, the boy did not answer, in which angered Sheena quite a bit. He just walked on as if the summoner had said nothing at all. She decided to calm herself down and continued to follow.

It was quite a while until Sheena finally saw something besides all the snow. It was a large building, hardly visible through all the snow that covered it. A beautiful stained-glass window could be seen and a huge clock was right under it. The doors were large and bore unique markings on them. She watched as the boy walked up to the building and forced open the door with the palm of his hand.

After he had disappeared within the building, Sheena ran in just before the doors shut behind her. She sighed in relief, but realized that the boy was staring at her. The summoner looked up at him and saw that behind him was a giant block of ice.

"Why are you still following me?" he asked irritably.

"Why am I still following you?" Sheena repeated. "I need an answer from you! Now tell me how I got in here in the first place!" The boy was silent for a moment, but then spoke up.

"This is a world of eternal time… You can call it all you want, but it's still the same anyways… Freedert and I created this world…" he explained.

"Freedert? But that's… that's the girl from the story!" Sheena said. "Does that mean that you're…?"

"Yes, you're a bit brighter than I thought you were. The name's Elliot, also known as the Chock of Time," he replied, "Freedert is the Second Hand of Time. Is it getting too confusing yet?"

Sheena said nothing and put a hand to her head. Elliot looked up at the stained-glass window. It portrayed a sword with wings coming out from the sides.

"You must have been pretty depressed to come into this world… you probably came from your dreams…" he said.

"My dreams?" Sheena questioned. "You mean I'm dreaming?"

"But humans can't survive here for long… If you stay here too long, you'll never be able to wake up… You will die here and yet you'll live here eternally… That is because time is frozen here…" Elliot explained.

"Time is… f…frozen?" Sheena stammered. "But… that's not possible!"

"Yes it is… for the Guardian of Time that is…" he said.

"But… Freedert and you were granted Eternal Time, right? Doesn't that mean… that…?" Sheena started.

"Eternal Time and Frozen Time. Isn't that the same thing?" Elliot cut in. "Either way, you're at a dead end, isn't that right?" Sheena looked down and closed her eyes.

"But your story…"

"Our story? What do you mean?" he questioned and neared her. "Tell me… I'd like to know this story…"

* * *

"Lies! Lies!" Elliot cried, after hearing Sheena explain the story. "They're all lies!" The summoner stood there, astounded by the boy's anger. "This story… 'Ice and Snow'! It's all a lie!" He stomped around in a mad fury. 

"Then what happened?" Sheena spoke up and the furious boy looked up at her. "I mean… what really happened?" Zelos wouldn't tell me…

"It's complicated…" Elliot simply stated, much more calm then before. "Really… but if you really want to know, I guess I could tell you…" His face expression darkened. "Okay, then…"

"When I was little, I had two close friends, Freedert and Kyle…" he started explaining. "My father was the duke, but he didn't seem to mind that I was a friend with a villager girl. Kyle, Freedert, and I had lots of fun back then… However, Freedert and I became closer and closer. It actually wasn't long until I realized that our relationship was more than it seemed…" Sheena listened intently to his story.

"The two of us eventually fell in love when we became older… and war broke us apart. I was sent off to battle and I asked Kyle to take care of Freedert while I was gone. However, unfortunately, I was struck by an arrow during battle and I died…"

"Yet, I was then resurrected somehow and I went back to the town I had loved. No one was there; it had been devastated. Only Freedert was there, and she was dying. I had then realized what she had done." Elliot lifted his head. "She had exchanged her time with mine. In other words, she sacrificed her life so I could live. But without her, what purpose would I live for? How would I ever manage on without my light - my love? Thus, I thrust the sword Freedert had given me through my heart, wishing to the Guardian of Time that I could exchange my time with hers…" The boy looked straight at Sheena.

"But, the Guardian could only exchange time, not create time. She could not create time that had stopped. So, she decided to freeze our time. Thus, she made this world, a world in which time does not move and does not end…" Elliot suddenly chuckled. "Did you get all that?" Sheena closed her eyes and pondered for a moment.

"So… what happened to Freedert?" she asked.

"She died sometime ago… along with her world…" he replied sullenly. "We do not die… however, if our worlds die then we die as well…"

"That's really sad…" she commented. "But isn't living for you horrible now? I mean, isn't it… tiring…?"

"Hmm? You really think so?" he laughed. "I thought all humans wanted to live forever…"

"Well, living for a long time is nice, but…" the summoner said, "living forever is like… punishment…"

"And why would you say that?"

"I actually don't really know… but it seems so cruel… to live on forever and never be put to rest…" she replied quietly. "It's just not right…"

"A lot of things aren't right about life," Elliot said, walking toward the center of the building that highly resembled a church. "But that's strange… I thought humans always wanted to have eternal life… am I right?" Sheena hesitated for a moment and clenched her fist.

"But- but I don't want to," she stated. "I wouldn't want this 'eternal' life… that would be..."

"Be what? Horrible? Horrendous? God-like?" he suggested as he stood in front of a humungous block of ice. She hadn't notice this before, but there seemed to be a sword embedded in the ice.

"Well yeah…" she replied and watched as Elliot raised his hand and felt the rigid edges of the ice block. "Life is only exciting if you have something to live for… and to know that there's no end to your life… it's just… so sad…" Sheena put her hands to her face.

"Sometimes I wonder why I was born… why I'm still alive while all those people in Mizuho were killed… why I'm still worthy to be human…" she stuttered. "I… I still haven't found the reason why, but… I'm sure I'll find it… someday…"

"And how are you so sure of that?" Elliot asked and continued to feel against the hard, cold ice.

"Because… everyone has a reason to live! But if everyone lived for eternity, there would be no point in life!" the summoner shouted with a sudden burst of energy. "Life is only important if we live for something… there would be no point if our lives were forever! It is only because death exists that people try to make the best of their lives!"

"And why is death sad?" he asked, almost in a whisper. Sheena set down her hands. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"Because… you lose everything that you love…"

Suddenly, there was a sound as if glass was breaking that echoed throughout the whole church. The piercing clatter rang in her ears and she felt as cold, as cold as ice. The grand block of ice and shattered into a myriad of pieces and all that was left was a single sword, standing upright and securely chained to the ground. Its blade gave off a luminous light as if it was glowing itself. Elliot slowly strolled up to it and grabbed the sword by its golden hilt.

" 'You're the reason that I live for'… I wish I could say that to someone again…" he sighed despondently and his head slumped. "Freedert's gone… and sometimes… sometimes… I feel like I just don't want to live anymore…" Sheena remained silent as tears streamed down her cheeks. "What do you think is more sad: having the both of us die or living on forever?" The invoker was quiet for a moment and mused with deep thought. Elliot gradually lifted up the sword over his head and grinned as he watched the blade sparkle radiantly.

"I… I think that living on forever is… more sad," she stammered and quickly wiped her tears of her face. She did not want him to see her as something weak and venerable.

"Eh? So you say…" he said in almost a teasing-like manner and brought down the sword to eye-level. "So you think that living a relatively short life is better off than living one that lasts forever?"

"Will you stop asking the same questions! I said yes, now deal with it!" Sheena suddenly yelled and was surprised at how angry she sounded. She had no idea what emotion she was experiencing right now. She didn't know if she was sad, mad, confused, or just plain frustrated. This boy was driving her mad! She stared angrily at him and he did nothing but smirk back. However, suddenly, he lowered his sword and it rang as the blade tip made contact with the ground.

There was complete and absolute silence. Sheena scanned the area warily as if something was going to ambush her. When she finally made sure that there was no danger whatsoever around her, she stared back at the boy as he stood motionless with his sword. However then, for a split second, she swore that she had just seen another boy, in the same exact spot Elliot was in now, holding the sword gallantly and grinning evilly at her with his bright azure eyes. She opened her mouth, but could not find her voice to speak. For a second, she felt lost and could not think. Her thoughts, like birds, seemed to have just flown away like all her hope. All she knew was that boy before her was the spitting image of the Chosen she had known for several years, the same Chosen who always joked with her, and the same Chosen who tried to hide all his pain deep inside his heart.

"Zelos…" she whispered, for that was the one word that escaped her lips and it echoed throughout the building.

* * *

"Zelos…" 

The red-haired Chosen looked over to see his beloved summoner mumbling in her sleep. He laid a hand on her temple and sighed. She's probably having a fevered dream…, he thought to himself and glanced toward the opening of the cave. The snowstorm's much better than it was before… it looks as if it'll settle soon… He then picked up a nearby stick and started to draw images in the dirt while entertaining himself by humming a little tune. After a while, he gasped as he came to realize what he had drawn. He quickly erased the portrait of Sheena with his hand and blushed in embarrassment.

_Man! Do I always have to think about her_, he asked himself slammed his hand against his forehead. _Why am I always so stupid?_

_

* * *

_

Perspiration slid down her face and she watched as before her, images of many people appeared. Worst of all, she recognized every single one of them. Standing with a friendly smile was Kuchinawa, and behind him were several others who all bore welcoming smiles. At Kuchinawa's feet, Corrine appeared and Sheena's eyes widened.

"Ku- Kuchinawa! Corrine!" She scanned the group of people nervously. "Everyone!" She would never forget the faces of her allies that she couldn't save. "I'm sorry… that time with Volt… I couldn't save you guys…" Tiny tears slid down her cheeks as she lowered her head. Shame overwhelmed her. "I'm really sorry… It's all my fault…"

"Don't apologize," a voice rang out. The summoner looked up and found her Summon Spirit speaking to her. "It's not your fault… we all decided on our choices and sacrificed ourselves for you." A woman behind Corrine stepped up.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sheena. Do you think we sacrificed ourselves just to have you live in distress and suffer with self-guilt? You have done no wrong; remember that… We are your friends and allies and we will forever be by your side." She gently smiled at her. "I don't wish to see you cry…"

"We gave our lives to you, Sheena. We entrusted you with our precious memories and wanted you to live the life we weren't able to live," a man with dark hair said. "Do you understand? We want you to make the best of your life for us." Sheena give a slight smile and turned toward her childhood friend.

"I apologize for my harsh words for I now know the pain in your heart they have caused you. We may have parted ways, but does not mean I have spite toward you," Kuchinawa said and smiled. Sheena stared at him in surprise. He apologized! "I have actually… learned much from you… your words and actions made me think about what I was doing… and how it was harming others around me…" More tears came to the summoner's eyes.

"You're… all such wonderful people… thank you," she said while slowly wiping her tears away from her face. "Kuchinawa… Corrine… everyone… thank you so much… I'm very happy now… I have no regrets…"

Suddenly, they all disappeared. It was as if they were just illusions and vanished before her eyes. But Sheena knew those people were not just images; she could feel the warmth of souls among them.

* * *

"Humph, that was unexpected," Elliot murmured. "It seems that your friends are quite loyal to you… Who would have thought…?" He lowered his blade and walked toward Sheena. "Then I have no choice… if you're so against living an eternal life here in this world, I'll have to end your life for you." 

Sheena gasped in surprise. "Wha- what do you mean?"

"You're trapped in this world, don't you see? There's no way out unless you answer my questions correctly!"

"But you said I could leave! When you first met me, you said I needed to leave as soon as possible! Argh!" She grabbed at her hair. "Why is everything always changing in this world? It's just so confusing and… and irritating! I- I just want to get out of here, okay! I want everything to be normal again… I just want everything to be the same again… that's all…"

"Like I said, you can only leave this world if you answer my questions correctly," Elliot spat. "But at the rate you're going, you're never gonna to get them right! It's because you've never went through all the pain I have!" He lifted his shimmering blade and pointed it toward Sheena. "So, according to your answers, you would rather be killed than to live on forever, am I correct? Or do you wish to change your answer? It's your choice."

She stared at him with her deep brown pools and clenched her fist. Quivering from nervousness, she closed her eyes tightly and she swallowed. I have to be brave! For Kuchinawa! For Corrine! For… Zelos… Sheena suddenly opened her eyes as an image of the Chosen appeared in her mind. I… I… can't die… because… I want to see him again!

"No," the summoner spoke, "I'll take neither answer!" A look of surprise appeared on Elliot's face. "I want to go back! Back to Tethe'alla where all my friends are waiting! I want to leave this horrible place!" Tears formed in her eyes. "I- I want everything to be normal again… not all this insane talk about 'eternal life' and 'death'… and… and… I want to see _him _again…"

All of a sudden, the luminous blade began to crack and before Elliot could do anything, it shattering into numerous pieces like shimmering glitter. The golden hilt dropped to the ground and all Elliot did was stare.

"How did you- ?" he started, but then fell to his knees. With hope that she had finally defeated him, Sheena stood up and walked towards him. She reached out a shaking hand and laid her hand on the side of his face.

"You… you remind me so much of Zelos… I just don't know why…" she said as she stroked his cheek. With one hand, he moved the clock around his neck aside and loosened his clothes so that his upper torso was exposed. The summoner gasped as she saw that a ruby jewel was implanted on his chest. "What?" she breathed, shocked. Red-orange light erupted from the boy's back and slowly took the shape of bright, beautiful wings.

"You're- " she began, but gasped as Elliot pulled her hand away and she realized that her hand was disappearing. "What?"

"You're going back now… I guess you were strong enough at heart to leave after all…" He said as he slowly let go of her hand. Then, he gave a sad smile. "I'm so stupid to think I could've kept you here… what was I thinking…?" His voice now dropped to a whisper and Sheena had to strain her ears to hear him. The boy stared towards the ground and his fine crimson locks hid his eyes.

Not only had she started to disappear, but also the distance between her and the boy had been dramatically increased. She desperately reached out a hand, longing to touch his face for some strange reason, afraid of what was going to happen… but then, she heard his voice… a voice much… different than it had been before.

It was not an arrogant and obstinate voice, but one that was forlorn and remorseful.

_"I'm sorry… I don't know what got to me…_

_It was a mistake all along… to have kept you here…_

_Now you can go back and see your friends…"_

_"I- I actually don't know w- why I chose to bring you here…_

_W- what was I… thinking?_

_W- was I just stupid or something?_

_Or… was it really jealousy that got me?"_

_"W- was I jealous because of your friends?_

_Or was I jealous b- because of the strength of your heart?_

_I- I think I envied both… but the thing I envied the m- most about you…_

_Was the reason you had to live on and to see the new day…"_

When only her face and fragments of her hand had remained from the process of fading away, she felt hot liquid roll down her cheek. She did not know why she felt sympathy for the boy who had baffled her completely and thrived to keep her in this world and she did not know why she loved his innocent and lonely soul. As she was about to disappear completely, she saw tears stream down his face.

"Sheena."

A voice was beckoning to her, calling her.

"Sheena."

It called again. And all of the sudden, the voice was entirely recognizable.

* * *

"Sheena!" the Chosen called as he shook the summoner's shoulders. 

"Wha-?" she replied blankly and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, she stood up and in the process knocked Zelos down. "Huh? What? Where am I? Where's Elliot?" If it hadn't been that Zelos was worried about her, he would have burst out laughing after hearing that Sheena was asking for a fictional character.

"Elliot?" he said in surprise, but then shook his head. "Ah, never mind that. Are you okay?" As she tried to reply, she suddenly felt extremely weak and her words came out dry and hoarse.

"I- I'm alright… I think…" she tried to sit up since she didn't want to trouble the Chosen with her weight leaning on him. "Ah!" she yelped in pain as her muscles ached badly as she attempted to sit.

"Sheena!" Zelos said and pulled her towards him. His hand lifted and felt her temple. "Look, you're sick, okay? You had quite a fever a while ago… but you're going to be as good as new once you get some rest… Gee, don't scare me like that, I thought my hunny was going to leave me!"

"That's not funny, Zelos," Sheena mumbled and huddled closer to him, regardless of how idiotic she thought he was. She then looked down and noticed that she was wearing Zelos' jacket. _He must have tried to warm me up…_

"Okay, okay, that was lame," he laughed and looked towards the cave entrance. "But the good news is that the snowstorm's died down." At his words, Sheena looked out as well and to her relief, the snowstorm had indeed ceased, but it was still snowing.

"It's… pretty," she murmured, more to herself than Zelos. The Chosen was taken aback. _Whoa, now when did she start using words like 'pretty' again?_

"Huh?" he replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion. _Is this the same Sheena from a few hours ago?_

"Ah… it's nothing…" she muttered and closed her eyes. _I'm so tired…_

"Sheena? Shheeennnaaaa…" Zelos called and shook her a little bit. The summoner had fallen asleep again. He smiled a little and looked outside. "Let's go back to Flanoir, okay?" He looked back at the sleeping beauty and to his surprise, flushed. After dressing her and himself in their semi-dry clothes, he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her forehead softly. "You'll get better as soon as we get back; I promise…"

And with Sheena in his arms, Zelos headed back to Flanoir, as the soft snow continued to gracefully fall. However, right before entering the snowy city, he paused and stared up into the sky. _Elliot, huh? Was it you that caused that snowstorm?_ He glanced back at the sleeping summoner. _The snow… it's like… flower petals…_

_"Freedert… You snow falls… so slow… and silent._

_Pure and undefiled…The snow that I know to be you keeps falling…_

_In the dark of the night, on dark's wings, deep in my heart… silently…_

_Your snow keeps falling…"_

He remembered when his mother had read him those lines. He had memorized those lines by heart. _Is this your gift? Freedert? Elliot?_ The Chosen grinned and pondered these thoughts. '_Ice and Dark'…I personally prefer 'Ice and Snow' but then again, it's your story, Elliot._ And I have my own story to write as well… Suddenly, he noticed what he was doing. _Wait, how the hell did I get so philosophical all of the sudden?_ He put one hand to his temple._ I'm probably getting a fever, too… well, better get Sheena to the doctor before I faint on someone's doorstep…_ He chuckled a little at his own joke.

_Well, all I know now is that, Sheena, your snow will always keep falling… silently… deep in my heart…_

_For all eternity…

* * *

_

A/N: Ahhhhh! This chapter was horrible! I'm soooo sorry I haven't updated in nearly a year and that this chapter is utterly terrible! Flame me all you must! It's bad, and I know it; I totally messed up everything… I changed my mind so many times during this chapter which shows how unorganized I am and many parts of it are weird… ah, I'm sorry… I've failed you all!

Hopefully, the last chapter will make up for this poorly written chapter!


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